Portrait of a Child (Alessandro Farnese?), Bartolomeo Schedoni (Modena 1578 – Parma 1615) workshop of

Bartolomeo Schedoni (Modena 1578 – Parma 1615) workshop of
Portrait of a Child (Alessandro Farnese?)

First half of the 17th century

Oil painting on canvas
95 x 66 cm. – In 109 x 80 frame

This intense portrait of a young boy appears to be an interesting workshop work by the Modenese painter Bartolomeo Schedoni (Modena 1578 – Parma 1615), active from 1607 at the court of Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza.
This is in fact a detail taken from a more complex painting, 'The Alms of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary' (1610-11), commissioned by the Farnese family and executed by Schedoni in 1611: in the work Elizabeth, Queen of Thuringia who lived in the XNUMXth century and known for her charitable works, is depicted in the act of giving alms to the needy.
Our little sitter, placed in the foreground in the original painting, is the protagonist here as he turns his gaze towards the observer, with the aim of attracting his attention and arousing his involvement, according to a device that often recurs in Schedoni's paintings.
An interesting interpretation is that the child is an allegory of the young firstborn Alessandro Farnese (born on 5 September 1610, ten years after the marriage between Ranuccio and Margherita Aldobrandini), given that on the occasion of the birth, the ducal couple organised celebrations and almsgiving for many days.
The painting was therefore commissioned as an ex voto in thanksgiving for the birth of her son: the infant wears a yellow and blue jacket, a clear reference to the Duchy of Parma, while the white undergarment and the red cord holding the clothes together would indicate the intervention of Saint Elizabeth, a Franciscan allegory of charity, who intercedes at the birth of the child.
This could be a fitting interpretation also in relation to the depiction of the child, certainly not a beggar or an orphan, considering his refined and delicate appearance, the care of his clothes, his combed blond hair and his perfect little feet, as well as his regal bearing and the proud gaze with which he looks at us intensely.
The proposed work could be, given the excellent quality of execution, by an artist from the workshop of Bartolomeo Schedoni, capable of fully reproducing his style and quality: the magic of the painting and the use of light and colors, with the chiaroscuro effects that accentuate its three-dimensionality, in full Baroque style, bring us back to the ability to create that atmosphere with an almost metaphysical effect that made Schedoni a master of great level.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with an antique frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.

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